


you, outside my door

by ktsushade



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Sayo is an MMO addict, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, hikikomori
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-28 21:47:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20071093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ktsushade/pseuds/ktsushade
Summary: Sayo is a shut-in and rarely sees the light of day. Tsugumi is her neighbor, who comes by to drop off packages that are delivered to her on accident. Little by little, Sayo's walls begin to weaken.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU I came up with on the spot, and it soon became detailed and now it's a story. The growth of someone who isolates herself and the sunshine who pulls her out of those shadows...

The whirr of the air conditioner. The click of her mouse. The occasional tap of her keyboard.

These were the only sounds, aside from the noise streaming from her headphones, that can be heard in apartment 203. Every so often she reaches into the bag of chips beside her to throw one into her mouth, the crunch joining the sea of noise surrounding her until it dies with a quiet swallow.  


“Tch,” she clicks her tongue at the things happening on her monitor, the largest piece of furniture in the entire apartment. An MMORPG, Neo Fantasy Online, is no stranger - it’s practically the only thing ever displayed on the screen. Vibrant colors splash the dark room in reds and blues and bright whites, exposing her pale skin and black bags to nobody in particular. After a few moments of rapid tapping and swipes of her mouse, a victorious melody plays and she and her guild are rewarded for their efforts.  


A shuffle, and she’s setting her keyboard on the small table to her left with a soft sigh. Her hair, long and stringy, falls in front of her face as she removes her headphones, quickly tapping into the chat room that she is done for the night.  


__ “sure thing”   
“damn I was gonna ask if you wanted to raid one more boss”   
“night”   


Hikawa Sayo stands from her usual spot on her floor chair, cringing at the sound of her back popping and heads into the bathroom to at least wash her hair before bed. Her showers never last more than ten minutes, and soon enough she’s rubbing her head with her towel as she shuffles back into the main room.

Under her feet, wrappers of food and plastic bottles crumple and roll with every step. Trash bags line the entryway, the bin overflows with packages and plastic wrapping from her many deliveries, and her feet snag on the many cables and straps she has thrown carelessly in one corner of the room. The only thing the garbage doesn’t touch is the spot where her guitar sits, proudly standing before the glass door leading into the small balcony. The yellow glow of the sunlight outside peeks its way around the curtain, surrounding it in an otherworldly glow.  


Sayo grunts as she drags her table away from the middle of the room to make space for her futon, which flops to the floor like a rag doll from within her closet. Another huff and a few kicks of tea bottles later and Sayo has finally prepared her futon, wasting no time in slipping into it with a comfortable sigh.

On normal days, her eyes would shut and she’d be fast asleep for the rest of the day. Instead, for some reason, they can’t. Sayo stares at the wall across from her, white and bare and passing through the sound of her neighbor cooking lunch. Her body is relaxed, unwinding from the stiff position she was in for the last five or so hours, but she can’t seem to close her eyes at all.  


She listens to the air conditioner, hoping it will eventually lull her to sleep. The air pushes some wrappers her way, she shuffles under her blanket to get even more comfortable, but all of it is fruitless. Sayo huffs, rolling onto her back to stare at the ceiling. She considers returning to her game, there were a few more things to be done, but she’s already told her group she was going to bed and it would be awkward to return too soon.  


Sighing, Sayo forces her eyes shut, hoping with time she won’t notice she’s asleep. What feels like forever later, she rolls onto her side, tucking an arm underneath her pillow, eyebrows furrowed at the fact she’s still conscious. Sayo focuses on the sounds of the cars and trains nearby, the hum of their engines and the jingle of bicycles…

Twenty minutes later, her eyes are still open, and she sits up with a sigh.  


“I could play my guitar for a while…” she whispers, looking at her instrument that’s practically calling her name. She can feel her expression softening as she looks at it, and decides with a nod that she’ll play it for a bit.  


Just as she stands to grab it, there’s a light knock on the door. The sound, so unfamiliar when she isn’t expecting it, shocks her enough that Sayo can barely move her fingers. Her eyes dart to the door, sitting at the end of the black abyss that is her hallway - rarely used, completely cluttered with garbage and plastic bags, and she jumps when there’s another knock on the door, this time with a little more strength to it.  


Realizing there is indeed a person on the other side, and Sayo probably should open it despite the shock, she straightens herself out and slowly makes her way to the door. She wasn’t expecting a package that day, and the mail man hadn’t announced his presence behind the door… so who was it?

As soon as she pulls open the door a few inches she shuts her eyes with a wince, the brightness outside completely overwhelming her senses. The last time she went outside was… perhaps two Wednesdays ago? The outside world is unchanged, she can still see the same parking lot and houses surrounding the building, except for one thing: a cute girl, just a hair shorter than herself is standing in front of her.

Sayo’s eyes widen as she takes in the sight. Other than the cashiers at the convenience store, Sayo’s interactions with physical people are far and few in between. Cute, round brown eyes look up at her, first with a hint of fear before clearing, and Sayo’s breath is caught in her throat.

Her short brown hair looks soft to the touch, brushing against her shoulders and chin with every small tilt of her head as Sayo is observing her. Then she holds up something in her arms - a package.

“H… hello,” Sayo blurts. The girl jumps at the sudden sound of her voice, and Sayo clears her throat, wondering if she’s always sounded so meek.  


“Hello…!” the girl sounds equally nervous, but her smile is warm. Sayo can almost feel the warmth radiating off of her, a nice change compared to her grim environment. “I’m sorry to bother you, but, um... are you - are you Hikawa Sayo-san?”

Sayo bites her lip, eyes darting from side to side until they land below where a package with her name is sitting in the arms of this adorable stranger. “Yes, I am,” she says in a single breath, wondering if this is what it feels like to have a panic attack.  


The girl brightens up, though it seems she’s already reached her peak. “Good! Um - this was… delivered to my address. It looks like the mailman confused our apartments…” she shyly stretches her arms to hand it over to Sayo, who looks too confused to meet her halfway.  


After a few moments of awkward silence, Sayo shakes her head to kick herself out of her daze and finally, and gently, lays her hands on the package where the girl’s hands aren’t. “A-ah… thank you, I’m sorry to make you do this,” she forces out, sounding pained and out of her element. She had completely forgotten an order she placed months ago.

The girl lets out a soft laugh, one that makes Sayo’s knees tremble, and she shakes her head. Soft brown hair brushes against her cheeks as she does so, and the sight is so mesmerizing. “It’s no problem! This is the first time this has happened, so…”

Sayo can feel the conversation is ending. The only thing left is to shut the door and return to her normal life, but for some reason… she doesn’t want to. Words escape her, nothing is coming to mind, and her mind flops right when she needs it the most.  


“Um, so… I guess I’ll head back now. I’m glad your package was safe!”  


Sayo jumps again, and lowers her head a little, looking off to the side. “Thank you again, um…”   
  
“Hazawa Tsugumi.”

Swallowing, Sayo can feel her ears going scarlet under her hair. “T-Tsugumi-san…”

At the sound of her name, Tsugumi once again gifts Sayo with a smile worth billions of yen. With a small wave she begins taking a step to walk away and Sayo blinks in surprise, watching her walk down to the end of the corridor where she turns the corner, briefly turning her head to catch Sayo still staring at her from across the railing. Sayo catches the smallest of blushes appear on her face before the girl scurries into her apartment, softly shutting the door.  


Sayo follows suit, shutting her own door despite the feeling that her brain is still trying to catch up. Even her body feels exhausted, She lets out a long sigh, dragging her feet until her toes touch her futon, where collapses onto her back with another long sigh.  


She lifts her hand to her mouth, feeling how hot her cheeks are. “She was… incredibly… cute. Tsugumi-san...” she whispers, wondering why the name rolls off her tongue so smoothly, almost like honey. Slowly, she begins closing her eyes and replaying the memory of her soft smile, heart hammering beneath her rib cage.

With that thought alone, Sayo manages to finally fall asleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

For the next couple of weeks, Sayo learns she’s beginning to eagerly glance at the door when she knows a package is on its way. Sometimes they’re late, and a twinge in her stomach, an excited feeling, begins to strengthen. She scoffs every time, realizing she’s being childish - almost like a dog waiting for her owner to return, and she immerses herself in whatever she’s working on at the moment to get rid of the thoughts that overwhelm her.  


But nothing works. Her mind continues to drift as she strums her guitar or dives into her game, painting the still very-vivid picture of Hazawa Tsugumi on the back of her eyelids.  


She lays in her futon, wondering if today is going to be the day her doorbell rings. And again, she scoffs before falling asleep, never hearing the chime, and slowly coming to accept she really isn’t that lucky.

One Tuesday afternoon, just as Sayo opens her music program to clean up a new guitar recording, her stomach growls. She knows her stock of instant ramen is just about halfway emptied, and she only has a few more bottles of tea left in the fridge, too. But she’s not much of a glutton and the thought doesn’t bother her as she reaches into her cabinet to grab whatever is sitting on top of her stack.  


The water heater is plugged in, humming lowly. Sayo rips open the cup of ramen quickly and sets it next to the device before heading back to her usual spot on the floor. She busies herself with editing the white noise, clearing the occasional squeals that disrupt the flow of the music. This particular track was commissioned by an independent composer who stumbled upon her website and liked her work - and as he had no knowledge of guitar, asked for a guitar track to go along with his song.  


Sayo has never been as proficient at guitar as her website and business emails let on, but she hasn’t had a bad experience so far, and her clients always seem happy with what she produces. The thought alone - that someone would enjoy her guitar playing - has always been an encouragement.  


Just as she’s finished with the first half of her track and the sound dies off, she can hear the steam coming out of the heater and her stomach growls even louder. Setting her keyboard and mouse on the table, Sayo stands to head into the kitchenette, pushing aside the newest bags of trash for the week on her way to make room for her feet.  


She’s pouring the water into the cup, the sound of the dissolving powder seeming louder than usual, and it isn’t until Sayo places her reusable chopsticks on the cover to keep the heat in that she hears the light knock on her door.

Her ears perk up immediately, and she turns as if someone had actually come in. Looking down at herself, she’s wearing her pajamas - still - and her hair is an even messier disarray than usual, and for once the thought of hurriedly brushing her hair comes to mind. But there’s no time as the bell finally rings after a few moments.  


“Sayo... san?”

Sayo’s heart skips a beat. There was no way - no possible way her wish was coming true… she had to have fallen asleep in her seat, or in her futon. She bites her lip and takes quiet steps to the door, where she knows Tsugumi is standing. Taking a deep breath, Sayo tightly takes hold of the doorknob and unlocks it with her other hand, slowly letting in the bright light of the afternoon.  


Standing in the same pose as she was a few weeks ago, and with a knowing, nervous smile, is Hazawa Tsugumi.  


“T-Tsugumi-san,” she can’t help but let the name slip off her tongue. It’s almost as if her body is compelled to say it, but Sayo can’t complain. Not when as soon as she says it, Tsugumi seems to grow bright red, shyly look off to the side - and Sayo finds it to be the cutest thing she’s ever seen.  


Not that there’s anything to compare it to.  


“Sayo-san! Hello again,” Tsugumi laughs a little, holding out her hands. Again, a small package is sitting within them, and again, Sayo takes it in hers. “Looks like he mixed us up again!”

“I’m…” while Sayo is grateful for the mix ups, there is a part of her that feels guilty for making Tsugumi have to visit to drop them off. “I’m really sorry… but thank you, at least I know they are in safe hands.”

She can feel the sweat on her palms again, it’s like she’s experiencing a fever dream. But Tsugumi’s smile is like a drug, and her eyes become addicted. Sayo can’t think of any words to say, and she notices how Tsugumi begins to lean on her heels, rocking back and forth while keeping her eyes astray - not falling on hers like she desperately wishes-

Her tongue decides it no longer wants to cooperate with her frying brain. “If there’s anything,” she jumps as Tsugumi snaps her head to look at her again. “I can do… to thank you for doing this - to repay you, I mean…” she’s a mess, a total flounder.  


Tsugumi seems to think about it, looking equally nervous and taken by surprise. By gods, but Sayo was putting her on the spot, wasn’t she? She should have taken the package and slid back into her apartment like she always did instead of cornering her neighbor. She bites her lip, then twists the cute bracelet on her wrist, then looks up at Sayo again, her brown eyes glowing despite not facing the sun.  


She’s gorgeous, is all Sayo can think.

“Um… n-not really, I think...? It’s no big deal, really… but…” Sayo can feel her shoulders twitch at the positive tone in her voice. Her fingertips dig further into the box, trying to hide her excitement.  


Tsugumi giggles a little, although it sounds a little sad. “I usually bake a lot at home, but I sometimes… bake too much. And since I live alone, I can’t really eat all of it-”

The word single crosses Sayo’s mind, but immediately she shakes the thought away, disgusted with herself.  


“-I think if you tried them, it would be enough for me… if you want!”

Now Sayo is convinced she’s in the middle of a nice dream, or the afterlife. With how unhealthily she eats it wouldn’t surprise her to end up passing away in her sleep or something.  


Her cryptic thoughts disappear as Tsugumi tilts her head in confusion, looking at her like she’s just refused her without saying anything. Sayo shakes her head, softening her expression and letting show a rare smile. At the same moment, she can hear Tsugumi gasp.

Sayo releases a small breath, feeling more relaxed and comfortable as the seconds go by. “I would love to, Tsugumi-san. Please feel free to bring them whenever you have time.”

“Really?!” Tsugumi nearly yells, covering her mouth with a soft gasp at her volume. “I’m sorry…! But, if it’s really okay, then, s-sure!” Her response is more flustered than Sayo expected, and she doesn’t hesitate this time or announce her leave. Instead, she turns, covering her cheeks with her hands, and runs towards her apartment.  


Sayo is, once again, left staring at the spot she disappeared from. Wondering why she left in such a hurry. Was it something she said? Sayo did say it was okay…

But as she closes the door and takes her ramen off the counter, Sayo can’t help but smile - feeling warmer than she did when she woke up that day. She settles into her seat with a soft sigh, looking up at her monitor that still displays the rest of the work she has to get done. Any other day and Sayo would have no problems getting back to it while she eats.  


Today, she sighs.  


Slowly stirring her soggy noodles around the styrofoam cup to mix the flavors around, Sayo bring her chopsticks up to her mouth and takes in a mouthful, wondering what kinds of things Tsugumi is going to bring her. She was certainly the type who made things like cupcakes… or was she the cookie type? Sayo wasn’t even that big on sweets, so why was she looking forward to this so much?

Just as she takes in another large mouthful, there is a knock on her door. Sayo’s eyes widen, and she nearly chokes on the broth in her throat. Was _ this  _ the mailman? But if Tsugumi had already received what she ordered, then--

A sliver of hope enters her mind, and Sayo is on her feet, kicking her way through her apartment before stopping at the door. She doesn’t have a peep hole to see who might be on the other side, so she opens it with slight excitement and confusion.  


Again, there stands Tsugumi - holding a white box in her arms. She looks red and embarrassed, and -- Sayo blinks. Is she wearing a different outfit? Tsugumi is wearing a blue dress now, one that stops right above her knees, and a cute headband. Sayo could have sworn she was just wearing a regular shirt and skirt before…

Her cup of ramen almost falls right out of her grasp.

The word cute nearly slides out of her mouth, but Sayo keeps it in check by biting the inside of her cheek. Ignoring the pain, she lets her eyes drift to the box in Tsugumi’s hands. This time it isn’t a package, but something you’d get at the bakery.

“Um,” Tsugumi begins, lowering her head until Sayo can barely see her face, “These are… what I made.”

Quickly, Tsugumi shoves the box in Sayo’s direction. Sayo takes it into her single hand, making sure not to tilt the ramen too far. “Thank you,” she says, opening it to get a look inside. It smells like cinnamon and chocolate, and Sayo wonders if Tsugumi really made them.  


A bunch of small, bite-sized bear cookies with their arms around small chocolate-covered almonds in the middle. They look so  _ professionally _ made, and Sayo quickly whips her head up to meet Tsugumi’s expectant gaze.  


“Y-you made these…?” she asks, completely taken off guard.  


Despite her flustered state, Tsugumi nods, looking brighter by the second. “Uh huh! It was kind of hard to keep the chocolate from melting and getting over everything, but I eventually got the hang of it! They might be a little too bland, but I recommend you have them with some coffee!”

“Would you like to come in?”

The sudden question almost echoes through the hallway, she could have sworn the boy walking across the street looked at her like she was an idiot. Sayo bit the inside of her cheek again, this time in panic - what was she thinking?

She can feel a stray tea bottle bump into her foot, and she panics even further. As soon as Tsugumi catches a glimpse of her pigsty of an apartment.... “I mean, if you’d like..”

"S...Sure! U-um, if you have a coffee pot... I can make some coffee! My parents are baristas, you see, so I kinda grew up knowing how to brew a good pot and... yeah..." Tsugumi presses her palms together and starts looking down, and Sayo wasn’t sure if her skin could get any redder.  


At the acceptance, Sayo gulps. But she’s almost to cloud nine, and she doesn’t want the feeling to stop. “Please, come in… I apologize for the mess.”

Tsugumi, nodding, follows her in. “Pardon the intrusion…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen. These two are the gayest beans.


End file.
